Gary Johnson pulled off a minor miracle in leading Cheltenham Town straight back to the Football League in 2015/16 and he will always be held in high regard for that accomplishment, which was delivered under considerable pressure.

Mark Cooper then led Forest Green Rovers to League Two in his first season in charge at the New Lawn, making history and giving Gloucestershire its second Football League club.

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Both can be proud of their work, but what Tim Harris has done at Gloucester City is arguably even more impressive.

The most obvious difference is that Harris, who resigned on Thursday morning, managed a club at National League South level, with a comparatively minuscule budget, at the same time as running a successful business selling business equipment.

And manage the Tigers he did, from top to bottom.

Harris was not only responsible for picking the team, he was also charged with generating commercial income and organising sportsman's dinners and other events which provided valuable extra cash.

Tim Harris with Phil Tufnell

He was effectively the chief executive, commercial manager and team manager and he did it all without a salary, working in a voluntary capacity.

Of course, he has received unflinching support along the way from many others working without payment, but Harris held it all together and drove it forward, as far as humanly possible, with a contacts book to rival any other non-league boss.

The team he assembled exceeded expectations in National League North last season, flirting with the play-offs for long periods and ending up 10th before their transfer to the South division ahead of the current campaign.

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They have not enjoyed a smooth start to life at Evesham United's Jubilee Stadium, but it unlikely anyone else would have been able to build such a talented young squad with extremely limited resources.

Some of his players have dropped two levels and increased their wages, which speaks volumes about what he has been up against in tier two of the non-league game.

Several of them can undoubtedly go on to play higher, but they will always remember the spirit and togetherness fostered by Harris and his assistant Marc Richards, who has also stepped down, leaving Will Morford in caretaker charge.

Tim Harris and Marc Richards

Having been there when Meadow Park opened in 1986, Harris' dream was to be at the helm as the Tigers returned home for the first time since the 2007 floods, which forced them into exile.

It is a crying shame that someone who cares so passionately about a club which he represented as a player nearly 40 years ago will not be able to experience that long-awaited moment.